Marcus Swan, 29, pleaded guilty on Dec. 31 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of stolen firearms. Kenneth Petersen, 41, and Lucas Osborne, 30, pleaded guilty to the same charges in September and August, respectively.

Each admitted at their plea hearings to distributing at least 100 grams of pure meth in the Fort Dodge area between October 2018 and February 2019.

Gun charges for the group stemmed from possession of five guns stolen during a burglary in Kossuth County. Swan and Peterson were prohibited from possessing guns due to prior felony convictions. Osborne was a meth user and prohibited from possessing firearms, according to U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr.

Sentencing for Osborne and Petersen will be set on Jan. 28 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Sentencing for Swan will be completed after a presentence report is prepared.

Lucas Osborne

Each of the men face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment plus a $10 million fine.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikala Steenholdt, and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Kenneth Petersen